STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State women’s tennis team recorded a 6-6 overall record on Sunday to conclude action in the Bulldog Kickoff. Overall, State notched a 16-6 combined record (10-4 singles , 6-2 doubles) this weekend against players from No. 12 Georgia Tech and Memphis.

MSU’s Sunday slate was highlighted by two ranked singles victories against Georgia Tech from Emma Antonaki and Alexandra Mikhailuk.

The 69^th-ranked Antonaki topped 56^th-ranked Yellow Jacket Victoria Flores for the first ranked win for the Bulldogs in 2021. Antonaki jumped ahead early and maintained her lead for the entirety of the match to eventually defeat Flores 6-4, 6-4. The Athens, Greece, native extended her win streak – that dates back to last spring – to eight matches with the triumph.

Against No. 123 Gia Cohen, Mikhailuk went down 5-2 early in the first set. However, the freshman roared back to lead 6-5 and eventually take the first set 7-6(4). Mikhailuk ended up claiming the tight marathon 7-6(4), 7-5.

Also in the singles win column for MSU Sunday were seniors Lilian Poling and Sara Lizariturry. After dropping the first set to Georgia Tech’s Ruth Marsh 6-2, Poling battled back to win the next two and the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Lizariturry rolled to a 6-2, 6-0 decision over Katherine Cao of Memphis.

In Sunday’s other singles matches, Georgia Tech’s 13^th-ranked Kenya Jones fended off Magda Adaloglou 6-3, 6-4 in a couple of well-contested sets to halt the junior’s MSU-leading nine-match win streak. Bulldog Tamara Racine was edged by the Yellow Jackets’ Ava Hrastar 6-4, 6-4 while GT’s Carol Lee downed MSU true freshman Chloé Cirotte 6-0, 7-5. And in the last contest of the day, Tech’s Mahak Jain took a very tight decision from MSU freshman Marta Falceto 6-7(4), 7-5, 1-0(7).

In doubles action that started action Sunday, State’s tandem of Falceto and Lizariturry ousted Georgia Tech’s Monika Dedaj and Sophia Sassoli 6-2 for the first Bulldog victory of the day. Antonaki and Mikhailuk provided the second doubles triumph for State, edging Hrastar and Lee by a tight 7-5 margin.

Adaloglou and Poling faced the No. 5-ranked doubles duo in the nation in Tech’s Flores and Jones, where they fell 6-1 to the Yellow Jacket tandem. Cirotte and Racine were overturned by Georgia Tech’s Gia Cohen and Ruth Marsh 6-4.

Next up, the Bulldogs (1-0) return to their 2021 dual match schedule, travelling to Greenville, S.C., to take on Furman this coming Sunday, Jan. 24.

For more information on Mississippi State women’s tennis team, follow “HailStateWT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

MSU Women’s Tennis Results At The Bulldog Kickoff – Day 2 – January 17, 2021
Starkville, Miss. – Rula Indoor Tennis Pavilion

Doubles

#5 Victoria Flores/Kenya Jones (GT) def. Magda Adaloglou/Lilian Poling (MSU) 6-1

Gia Cohen/Ruth Marsh (GT) def. Chloé Cirotte/Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-4

Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Ava Hrastar/Carol Lee (GT) 7-5

Marta Falceto/Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Monika Dedaj/Sophia Sassoli (GT) 6-2

Singles

#13 Kenya Jones (GT) def. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) 6-3, 6-4

Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-4, 6-4

#69 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. #56 Victoria Flores (GT) 6-4, 6-4

Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. #123 Gia Cohen (GT) 7-6(4), 7-5

Carol Lee (GT) def. Chloé Cirotte (MSU) 6-0, 7-5

Lilian Poling (MSU) def. Ruth Marsh (GT) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3

Mahak Jain (GT) def. Marta Falceto (MSU) 6-7(4), 7-5, 1-0(7)

Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Katherine Cao (MEM) 6-2, 6-0